Honda VS KIA

And remember, if the drivers of these Hondas wear baggy pants it also
makes them go faster.
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On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 14:24:33 -0500, JR_Wild DeleteThis @webtv.net (Jim Wild)
wrote:

 >And remember, if the drivers of these Hondas wear baggy pants it also
 >makes them go faster.

but if they wear the baggys real low revealing 10 inches of boxer
shorts the car goes significantly slower, Yo!<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Honda VS KIA 

I've owned a kia and a civic and find the kia to have more space and more reliable in the engine department. also kia is way cheaper, the model I have has mazda running gear which makes it easy for parts. it uses the same cheap oil filter as the mazda 626. the honda had corrosion troubles everywhere and electrical faults which were a bitch to have.
 >> Stay informed about: Honda VS KIA 

That's interesting about the problems concerning the Honda.

Previous to my purchase of an '05 Spectra, I had a '99 Honda Civic Si (bought new). The car had never failed and no serious problem with the engine. Check Engine did come on a couple times due to poor fuel and bad O2 sensor but no problems with performance. The B16 being quite popular, the Si was stolen after 6½ years with me. Only mod I had on it were 17" wheel for significantly better handling, particularly compared to those crappy Michelin Energy tires.

It's also interesting how older generations always denigrate the newer ones for what they do, what they listen to, what they wear, etc. And no, I'm not a hip hop listening gansta being in my late 30s when I had the Si.

IMO, Kia still has a ways to go in terms of engine performance. Having driven non-B16s, even the Ds seemed peppier. My '05 Spec hits its wall at ~4500 rpm. The Hondas kept pulling (with what little horsepower they had) all the way to the line.

In other areas, I think the Kia, at least the Spectra, is the equal in fit and finish as the current model (gen 7) Civics. Only shortcommings noticable to me are the lower grade looking (and feeling) panels that cover optional switches and buttons, The plastic covered sun visors, smaller outboard mirrors. The Kia even surpasses the Civic in a couple of areas like heated mirrors (none in the gen 6 US civics, but present in the Can Civics), remote (key fob) trunk release (can't recall if the current Civic has this now when I test drove one), grab handle on the driver side. A minor annoyance that irked me with the Civic was the small area of untinted windshield above the inside rear vew mirror. The sun also found a way to locate itself right there. On both the Civic and the Spectra, the visor does not cover the small area between it and the A-pillar which is also a sore point for me.

In short, Kia is still about a generation behind under the hood and about ½ generations behind in interior design (but not fitment). They do surpass Honda in standard equipment though (for the same price). IMO, that and the warranties are the only way that will help propel them to Honda/Toyota levels. Kia and Hyundai have a bad history to recover from and this latest generation (in all of models) has gotten them close, IMO. They are just about 1 generation behind.
 >> Stay informed about: Honda VS KIA 

I am seriously having a hard time understanding why this comparison is even here. True the civic has its faults, but none of them come close to the faults of the kia.

I agree with hksw when he says they have a bad history to recover from. As an current owner of a 2nd Gen Sephia and a 5th Gen Civic, Hands down I lean towards the Civic. I have had nothing but problems, that no one can diagnose out of the Kia. As for the Civic, 160,000 miles, regular maintenance and a radiator is all I've paid for. Like I said, there are a few things that you will go with the Kia on. Maybe you were referring to current generations. My wife takes the Civic if I'm asleep and leaves me to drive the Kia. Which I don't have a problem with once we get it to stop smoking and stalling. I would rather drive it now, than to have her breakdown on the side of the road somewhere. Here's my breakdown of the two.

Interior Space = Kia
Fit and Finish = Civic
Ergonomics (i.e. cupholder, ashtray, console) = Kia
Handling = Civic
Style = Civic
Parts = Civic (though I haven't bought many, they are available)
Engine = Civic
Price = Kia (you get what you pay for)
Warranty = Kia (but you need it)

Kia is not a bad car, however I do feel that the 2nd gen was Kia's "real" First gen since it was built out of Kia parts and not Ford/Mazda parts. Which in turn is why the 2nd Gens have all the problems. Kia used the people who bought the first gens to get the motor workings going for themselves. Then used the people who bought the second gens to improve their cars. Which was the influence of Hyundai, who did the same thing. Who here remembers the Excel. Cheap car, new to the market, everyone bought one and it was done for right after the warranty ended.

My vote is for the Civic. I'll pay a little extra in the beginning to keep from going to the dealer over and over. My 1995 Civic EX, has NO recalls to this day.
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